Tyler Herro's 29 points Tuesday and other story lines to watch involving Wisconsin high school players in DI hoops as March looms

Kentucky guard Tyler Herro, a standout at Whitnall High School, drives against Arkansas on Tuesday in Lexington, Kentucky.(Photo: Mike Weaver/Special to Courier Journal)

Whitnall High School graduate Tyler Herro is playing with a ton of confidence for Kentucky, a team that now figures prominently into the discussion for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Look no further than Herro’s 29-point performance to help UK (24-4) hold off Arkansas, 70-66, on Tuesday, including two free throws in the final seconds. Herro has hit 52 of his last 53 free throws. He’s up to 14.2 points per game and 4.4 rebounds. The Wildcats have a big rematch at Tennessee in a battle of top-10 teams Saturday.

Here's a look at other Wisconsinites in Division I men's hoops (including those we may see in the NCAA Tournament) with championship week right around the corner.

Jordan McCabe has seen a big uptick in minutes at West Virginia – and how about his performance Tuesday?

The Mountaineers are in last place in the Big 12, but Jordan McCabe (Kaukauna), last year's Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin, has seen a marked increase in playing time. He logged 50 minutes against TCU on Tuesday in a 104-96 win in triple overtime, hitting 8 of 19 shots and finishing with 25 points, 11 assists, six steals and five rebounds. McCabe scored 14 points in 38 minutes Feb. 23 in a loss to Baylor and has logged double-digit minutes in every game since Jan. 26.

This Wisconsinite leads all of Division I in blocks

Western Illinois's Brandon Gilbeck (left) leads the country in blocked shots with 3.67 per game.(Photo: Jay Pickthorn/Argus Leader)

Brandon Gilbeck (River Valley) has been the nation’s best at blocked shots while playing for Western Illinois, and it's not particularly close. The Leathernecks may be near the bottom of the Summit League, but Gilbeck averages a staggering 3.67 rejections a game, well ahead of Oregon State’s Kylor Kelley (3.42) for tops in the country. The 7-foot senior was the Summit League defensive player of the year last year and became the program’s all-time leader in blocks as a junior when he got to 150 by Jan. 6, 2018. He’s up to 278 through Feb. 23, with 10 blocks against Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 7.

After a number of down years, Drake is back with two Sconnies leading the way

Drake senior Brady Ellingson celebrates in the final seconds of the game as the Bulldogs beat Bradley on Tuesday in Des Moines, Iowa.(Photo: Bryon Houlgrave, The Register)

Drake hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2008 and hasn't even had a winning season since 2011-12, but a pair of Sconnies are trying to lead the Bulldogs back.

Drake sits tied with Missouri State and Loyola at 10-6 in the ultra-crowded Missouri Valley title chase, with four more teams within two games of first place. The Bulldogs took a loss Feb. 24 to Illinois State and will now face Indiana State on Wednesday before a clash with Missouri State to close the year. Nick McGlynn (Stoughton) leads Drake in points (15.4) and rebounds (8.3) as well as blocks (1.6). Brady Ellingson (Sussex Hamilton) adds 12.0 points per game and shoots better than 50 percent from the field and 87 percent at the line.

Drake, behind New Berlin Eisenhower product Reid Timmer, somewhat returned to relevance last year with a 17-17 season after three straight years of single-digit win totals.

This guy is running the point for a surprise NCAA Tournament lock

(Photo: The Associated Press)

Storm Murphy (Middleton) and Wofford have become a surefire bet for the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers are 16-0 in the Southern Conference and 24-4 overall following a big win over Furman on Saturday, moving to No. 24 in the AP poll and No. 25 in the coaches poll. The sophomore guard averages 8.2 points and 3.2 assists while shooting 51.6 percent.

The Hausers are awesome, but you knew that already

Sam Hauser and Joey Hauser (Stevens Point) continue to lift Marquette, the leader in the Big East Conference. Joey was named Big East freshman of the week last week for the sixth time after averaging 11.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in a 2-0 week, and older brother Sam made the honor roll for his 14.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in the same stretch. Joey will obviously be in contention for Big East freshman of the year, and Sam should be a first-team all-conference pick.

Could we see a (sort of) rematch of last year's Milwaukee sectional battle in the Big Dance?

Billy Wampler (Eau Claire Regis) is second on the team in scoring (14.7) for Wright State, which has moved to first place in a chaotic Horizon League and could be in line for a 15 seed – perhaps to face a second-seeded Kentucky with Tyler Herro? That would be intriguing as a matchup especially considering injured WSU freshman Grant Basile (Pewaukee) – out for the year after ankle surgery – faced off with Herro in the WIAA playoffs last year, a memorable finish that ended Herro’s high school career.

Jordan Poole and Michigan fall out of first place in the Big Ten

Michigan Wolverines guard Jordan Poole (2) goes to the basket in the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Crisler Center.(Photo: Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports)

Jordan Poole (Milwaukee King) struggled in a loss to Michigan State that knocked the Wolverines one game back of first place in the Big Ten. He did have 22 points in a win over Minnesota on Feb. 21 and still averages 13.2 points for a team that hasn’t kept up its torrid early-season pace but should still get a 2 or 3 seed in the tournament.

Will we see the Jackrabbits (and all their Wisconsin connections) back in the Dance?

South Dakota State, with a heavy Wisconsin presence, is tied for first place in the Summit League at 13-2. Following a stunning buzzer-beating win over North Dakota State on Feb. 16, the Jackrabbits won twice more and should win their finale against Western Illinois on March 2 to wrap up at least a tie for first place. Coached by TJ Otzelberger (Thomas More), the team includes Alex Arians (Madison Edgewood) at 6.2 points per game, Ryan Krueger (Hortonville) at 2.2 and Alou Dillon (Wauwatosa West) at 1.9. Tevin King, who played in Delafield for a post-graduate year at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy, averages 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists plus 1.7 steals.

The Big 12 will come down to the wire

Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton is defended by West Virginia guard Jordan McCabe, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)(Photo: The Associated Press)

Milwaukee native Bruce Weber and Kansas State still have a tenuous hold on the Big 12 lead, tied with Texas Tech in the loss column and a half-game ahead overall at 11-4 in league play.

Iowa State has fallen out of the Big 12 title conversation despite a recent win over league-leading Kansas State, with back-to-back losses to Baylor and TCU. Tyrese Haliburton (Oshkosh North) averages only 6.9 points per game but does enough to merit All-Newcomer Team consideration in the Big 12, with 3.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks, plus a 51 percent shooting percentage. Teammate Terrence Lewis (Milwaukee Riverside) averages 4.7 points.

Greg Foster (Homestead) sees playing time for Gonzaga, which will be competing for a No. 1 seed.

Joe Sherburne (Whitefish Bay) and Maryland-Baltimore County took a loss to Albany on Saturday that knocked the Retrievers a half-game back of second place in the America East. Sherburne leads the team in scoring (14.2).

Sandy Cohen III (Seymour) and UW-Green Bay got back into the jumbled Horizon picture after a one-point win over Illinois-Chicago on Friday but lost to IUPUI on Sunday to fall back again, three games behind league-leading Wright State. Cohen leads the team in all big-five categories: points (16.7), rebounds (6.4), assists (4.5), steals (1.9) and blocks (0.9).

Mitch Listau (Waunakee) and Derek Sabin (Slinger) are both on the roster of Belmont, co-leader in the Ohio Valley.

JC Butler (Prairie School) sees some playing time for UC-Irvine, front-runner in the Big West.